


whY

by kohaku_shi



Series: The Scrap Heap (Pocket Monsters Edition) [5]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Fem Protag or Serena has a different name here, Friendly Neighbors, Gen, Her name is Ylisse, I'm still not sure how Sycamore knew about protag at the start of the game, Mostly Game!Verse, Multiple Perspectives, Pseudo-Game!Verse, Ylisse is pretty resigned to being dragged along into things tbh, and Male Protag is Xander
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-21 16:06:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11947776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kohaku_shi/pseuds/kohaku_shi
Summary: Cross-Post from Fanfiction.net"Upon moving to Vaniville, Ylisse finds herself getting caught up in more than she ever could have expected."Pokemon X & Y, Pseudo-Game!Verse (As-Is/Full Chapter/Complete For Now)





	whY

**Author's Note:**

> XY Pseudo-Game!Verse AU. Mostly self explanatory, with our main character being the girl Protag.
> 
> Which is a little ironic since I actually chose to play the boy in my first run through, heheh. Froakie and Fennikin are both so cute, and Chespin is adorable, too...at least until he evolves. Fennikin and Froakie are tied for favorites in this region, to be honest.
> 
> In any case, mostly canon Game!Verse, and...well, we'll see what route this story ends up taking. 
> 
> Aaaaanyways... excuse the lame title, I still can't think of a good one just yet, but it does kind of suit the protag? I think. She does start off kind of resigned to having to socialize, to be honest.
> 
> The usual Disclaimers apply, blah-di-dah, and hopefully this one's enjoyable enough. No idea if I'll end up continuing it, but we'll see? I have enough trouble trying to type this one and figuring out what note to end it on though. Hence why, scrap. Because I quite literally just...maybe...kind of quit trying to figure out how to move it further. For this scrap, anyways. Maybe if I end up continuing it the end will be less….clipped.
> 
> Oh well. Hopefully you all enjoy this one. Tried to make the girl's name a bit more unique. I considered alternate spellings for the male character, but ehhhh, it wooorkkksss. Even if I did change the spelling it would only be by one letter anyways. Eheh.
> 
> In any case, have a one-shot/potential first chapter/opening to a story I'm actually sort of satisfied with.

 

 

 

* * *

The sun shone brightly down upon the newest additions to Vaniville. An Ex-Rhydon Racer and her teen-aged daughter. It was nearly noon, and considering how long she'd had to sleep, it was surprising that the younger female still hadn't awoken just yet.

Thankfully -or unluckily- for her, her mother's Fletchling was always ready to lend a hand, though it waited until 11:45 exactly on the off-chance that she managed to awaken and stumble down the stairs herself. When she didn't, however, it flew over to the mother, tweeting permission to do its (now) usual duty of 'wake the sleepy head'.

The blue-eyed woman chuckled, "Oh, go on, Phil, we all know she won't get up on her own," she mused, chagrinned by the fact that her child had taken more after her father in this case, rather than being a (horror upon horrors) _morning_  person like herself.

Tweeting in agreement, the Fletchling off from where it'd landed on the table close by her. Winging its way up to the second floor, it flew down the halls until it reached the door that had been left ajar from the woman's earlier peek in. Taking a turn around the room, it prepared to do its duty, zooming down and flying right at the bundled mess of blankets on the bed, though it did make sure not to tackle the girl  _too_  hard (it wouldn't be good to actually cause damage to the girl, after all).

" _Gah-!_ " The sharp intake, mixed with a sleepy yet clear yell of surprise created an interesting sound to emit from the previously sleeping figure's throat. Phil -short for Philomena- chortled in amusement as only a bird could, the sound dying down to a warble as the human groaned.

"Phiiillll, whyyyy...?" She moaned, wondering if her mother's Pokemon was actually a sadist (no, scratch that, she didn't even need to wonder. The little devil probably  _was_ ), even though she'd been awoken in similar fashion often enough for it to be the norm. Pouting, she stared at the Pokemon, debating the merits of throwing her pillow at the little flying type.

As if sensing her intentions, Phil took off from the mess of a bed, whistling a reminder for her to hurry up and get out of bed. A familiar enough order that was obeyed, even if it was with a rather long-suffering sigh and a slight pout.

Covering a quiet yawn as she stretched, the ash-blonde (hair that was inherited from her father's side of the family) slipped out of the bed, absently patting her sheets back to smoothness before making her way to the bathroom to take care of her usual morning routine. Brushing her teeth with the clear, plastic blue toothbrush and her favorite toothpaste before washing her face and patting it dry with the pale green face towel that went back to the rack by the shower.

She'd wash up after she'd had breakfast… Or, well, Lunch, now, she mused, not bothering to change out of her pastel pink-toned pajamas seeing as she could do so later.

Of course, that didn't mean her mother approved, something which was made clear when she finally slipped downstairs, greeted by the sound of sizzling that came from the kitchen area.

"Morning, Mama…" she murmured, voice soft as always as she passed her mother to get a glass of warmed milk to help her body start up. She had, after all, inherited her father's lower blood pressure.

"Good Morning, dear," her mother hummed, flipping bacon and other breakfast things on the skillet. "Breakfast will be ready in a- Ylisse!" she paused, seeing her daughter still dressed as if for bed, when she turned to look at the girl. Frowning, she gave the girl a disapproving look. "You look like you just rolled out of bed!" True enough, but still. Considering it was nearly noon… "Good Heavens! Go on and take a look at yourself in the mirror -and change out of your pajamas! Goodness gracious, girl," she huffed, watching as the girl pout at the alteration to her plans, but still agreed and went back up. "At least do something about that bed-head of yours, if not the pajamas!" she muttered, shaking her head as she went back to cooking.

She hadn't really been upset -well, not by much, really. But with how...fluffy…the girl's hair tended to be, if it wasn't put through a good brushing first thing, it tended to get tangled and even puffier and more monstrous looking. She would have suggested she cut it, but short hair somehow managed to end up being even fluffier and far more tangled than a bird's nest. They'd tried it before, after all. And there'd even been that one incident… Well, let's just say that some birds thought it'd been an  _actual_  nest and had had to be persuaded otherwise...

As she continued to cook for the both of them, however, she couldn't help but to muse about just how like her husband the girl was. From fluffy hair and slate grey eyes all the way down to some of their habits and afflictions, such as their naturally rather low blood pressure, though so far neither of them had been affected too seriously by it -as far as she knew, at least. The only obvious symptom was the fact that they 'weren't morning people' to put it in her husband's words. Though there were others, of course -not that most people knew them well enough or really thought about it.

Still, considering there were worse traits to pass on, she suppose they were lucky, in a way. Though it would be nice when everyone was back together again… She hummed, arranging everything and setting everything down on the table.

Breakfast for lunch. For both of them, as Grace herself usually just had cereal or something light for breakfast, while Ylisse… well, she just really wasn't a 'morning person' after all, and was far more likely to sleep through it than to eat.

Humming, she moved around the kitchen, setting up the little island in the center that also served as their dining table when it was just the two of them. Ylisse would be down soon, and likely to be hungry now that she was more awake and aware of her stomach's complaints.

And just as predicted, the sound of feet padding down the stairs (her daughter never really  _hurried_  anywhere unless she absolutely had to) met her ears as she set the previously thought to be misplaced mug of warm milk (it didn't really make sense to her, since warm milk should really have made the girl sleepier -though she supposed it was just something warm to start up her system) back on the island in front of Ylisse's place.

"Morning, sleepyhead. Finally awake now?" She teased her daughter, far more approving now that she'd at least taken care of her messy appearance.

Grinning a little sheepishly, Ylisse nodded, humming slightly in agreement. "Morning, mama," she smiled, hugging her mother. Already, the ashe-blonde reached the woman's eyes, and it looked like she might actually grow to be a bit taller than her mother. Perhaps she'd inherited the genes for height from her father's side? Then again, her own parents had been a bit taller than her at that age as well.

"Breakfast smells good," she complimented the woman, now dressed in a dark short-sleeved blouse tucked into a perfectly fitting skirt that fell just above her knees. She was nothing if not coordinated for the most part. A bit of an airhead at times (or more accurately, easily distracted or zoned out) she may be, but she wasn't actually as slow as she seemed.

Grace chuckled as they both sat down to eat. "Thanks, though I think it'd be more accurate to say Brunch," she admitted, picking up a fork around the same time as her daughter.

Ylisse hummed, savouring the food. Unovan style bacon, hash browns, and scrambled eggs with a side of orange juice -for her mother at least, considering that Ylisse herself preferred warmer beverages. They seemed to help her wake up more than cool drinks did despite the slight shock to her system it gave on first sip, after all. Her body adjusted quickly enough, though.

"Did papa say when he'd be back?" she asked after a while, both their portions half-eaten, and still more being added to their stomachs.

Her mother hummed. "Supposedly by the end of the week -but you know your father. As slow as you are in most things," she teased, a slight smirk on her face.

And if she weren't still busy drinking her milk, she would have pouted. It couldn't be helped if she was a little slow at things. She was easily distracted and lost in thought, though she did try to pick things up again at least, making the attempt to finish whatever she forgot once she remembered it. "But I'm not as bad as Papa," she protested, "Papa takes a lot longer with everything," she reminded her mother. Well, he was unless he was totally focused on something -in which case something else got neglected, so yeah, it was rarer that he wasn't 'late' for something. That scatterbrain.

Grace simply hummed, "Well, you know your father. Old habits die hard -but he, at least, has age as an excuse," she laughed, causing her daughter to giggle. Even if it wasn't totally true and an exaggeration, it was still funny -and something that the man would have (jokingly) protested had he been there.

Too bad he wasn't. Neither woman would be unwilling to tease him about it...

* * *

Elsewhere, a short-haired man with a slight goatee sneezed, sniffling and pouting. He was sure that  _someone_  was talking about him again. Possibly some _ones_  if it was who he was thinking it could be. Which was entirely possible.

And, in this case, true.

* * *

Back in Vaniville, the two women (or rather, woman and teen) finished up their meal, cleaning up after themselves before splitting up. Though not before the elder of the two females made a suggestion to the younger.

"Why don't you go out and greet the neighbors?" she told her daughter, who would have otherwise have ended up in her room without outside contact aside from her mother once again if she'd had any say in it. Perhaps reading, or working on something or other, but it would still be her being a recluse again. Besides, they hadn't met all the neighbors just yet. Or rather, certain members.

Grace was sure that one of their neighbors had a son they hadn't met yet, while another had a daughter that had also been out at the time doing something or other.

Ylisse blinked, but frowned slightly, thinking about it. The frown soon disappeared, though. "I guess…" she murmured reluctantly, pouting since she'd meant to find a nice little niche to settle herself into and read. Possibly outside, using Rhys, her mother's Rhydon, as shelter from the sun.

Still, there ended up not having been a need for Grace to mention it. As, after grabbing her 'purse' (which was more like a shoulder bag or tote rather than an actual purse one might first think of off-hand), and sticking her book in -just in case- since she wasn't quite sure whether she'd end up actually meeting the kids even if she went out to find them. It wasn't like they didn't have better things to do…

Right?

She was proven very wrong, however, when upon stepping out of the house (almost as if fate decided: nope, no relaxed reading today! Or likely ever, for the rest of your life! ...though that may have been a bit dramatic, but  _still_. Especially considering how the rest of the day -let alone week- would end up going), she saw two teens around her age standing in front of her.

"Hi!" "Welcome to Vaniville!" the two told her, as she tried to reconcile with the disappointment of losing a day to herself. She nodded mutely as the two introduced themselves, too startled to give a proper response.

"My name's Xander -but you can call me Xan- I live next door," he grinned, ash brown eyes lighting up even as she nodded. She'd figured it was the case considering she hadn't seen them around when she and her mother had gone around to see the neighbors earlier in the week.

"And I'm Shauna! It's great to finally meet you!" the shorter girl exclaimed, pale jade-like eyes alight with excitement. "And, and-! Guess what!" she exclaimed. "We've come to get you!" she beamed, clearly excited for whatever it was that they were planning.

Thankfully, before Ylisse could get too weirded out however (due to the potential connotations of that last sentence), Xander broke in again with a better explanation.

"The renowned Professor Sycamore lives here, in the Kalos Region," he started by way of explanation, "I heard he has a task for five kids -which includes us," he continued. Clearly not bothered by being called 'kids' despite the fact that they were clearly in their teenage years.

"Though, I'm rather surprised he knew about you, considering that you just moved here, and all," he shrugged, smiling to show it wasn't meant to be insulting or negative. Just… a surprise.

"Soooo! We'll be waiting for you in the next town over! And, and-! Y'know what?!" she burst out, clearly unable to hold her excitement back anymore. "We're… going to get… a Pokemon!" she exclaimed, not quite able to resist the urge to squeal in her excitement.

"So c'mon! Hurry and let's go!" she grinned, eyes bright and bouncing with excitement. Xander was clearly used to this behavior as he shot Ylisse an apologetic and chagrined look as she shot off.

"Ah, Shauna, wait!" he exclaimed, running after the girl, pausing just long enough to tell her where to go before continuing on, "Er, we'll see you in the next town over. Just follow Vaniville Path and you should get to Aquacorde in no time! It's really close!" he promised before hurrying after his friend. "Shauna-!" he called after the girl.

"..." Ylisse just stared after them, left to nod slowly in the meantime as she turned to look towards Rhys...who, of course, was still asleep...

Lucky Bastard.

With a sigh, she began to walk after the two, sending her mother's Rhydon a longing look that was ignored in favor of sleep, as she trod down the road and turned towards Route 1. Which, lucky for her, had been easy enough to find considering all the street signs.

It wasn't that she didn't want a Pokemon. Oh no, she'd been waiting for her Papa to come back for that, since she'd wanted everyone to be together when it happened (getting your first Pokemon was supposed to be special, after all). But her mother had basically shooed her off with an order to 'make nice' with the neighbor's kids, and considering she didn't have the excuse of 'not having found them', she couldn't just settle by Rhys and start reading.

No matter how much she wanted to.

With a sigh, she gathered herself to be…  _social_. Even if it came off as dramatic, it was true. Not that she didn't like people -or her neighbors in particular, she didn't know them very well yet, after all- but she'd always had a bit of an awkward time around people she didn't know very well. Mostly due to her soft-spoken nature….partially due in thanks to her low blood pressure and partially (or rather, mostly) due to her own mostly anti-social personality. Still, even as she took her time in getting to the town, it really didn't take too long for her to get there.

Oh, well. If she didn't end up seeing them (or they, her), she could still go back before it was too late… right? And if they stopped by, she could honestly say she didn't see them, and that she'd tried.

Right! Now she just had to be careful not to be s-

" _HEY!_  THIS WAY! OVER HERE!" a familiar voice called out, stopping her in her tracks. Blinking and looking over, she saw Xander and Shauna sitting at an outdoor table with two other boys.

Mentally sighing to herself and lamenting to herself as her plans for a peaceful day-to-herself shattered completely, she walked over to the others, plastering a small smile on and giving the group a small wave as she got closer.

"We were just talking about you!" Shauna beamed, clearly untroubled by the fact that she'd just zoomed off without thinking about whether she'd even known how to get to Aquacorde -granted, it  _had_  been ridiculously easy to find the way, but still!

Oblivious to such thoughts, Shauna grinned at her, "C'mon! Take a seat!" she exclaimed cheerfully, in such a way that…Ylisse really couldn't be mad at them -if it was even in her nature to get angry. No, instead, any annoyance and irritation she'd previously felt melted away as she nodded cautiously, slipping into the only open seat next to one of the only two people she even vaguely knew.

Xander offered her a slightly apologetic and relieved smile, which only served to take whatever might have remained of her negative feelings away. "I'm glad you made it to the meeting place, Ylisse." Said girl didn't bother wondering how he knew her name. Their parents had probably told them, after all. "Here, I'll introduce you!" he said, giving her an expression that was part smile part grin as she nodded acceptance. "Everyone, this is Ylisse!" he told them, having apparently picked up that she wasn't one for many words.

"Wow! Shauna's description was spot on!" the taller of the two strangers exclaimed, as Xander smiled wryly.

"Ylisse, this is Tierno," he introduced the girl to the largest member of the group. "He can really tear up the dance floor!" he grinned as the taller boy seemed to puff up a bit with pride before moving onto the smaller ginger beside him. "And this is Trevor," he continued. "He's a little shy, but always gets perfect scores on his tests," he confided, grinning as the boy got flustered, partially due to embarrassment and partially pride from the praise.

From the looks of things, it felt rather like Xander was the unofficial leader of the group. Especially as it seemed that they all knew each other rather well enough, at least.

"Alright! Nice t'meetcha!" Tierno grinned, a friendly expression on his face as he seemed to think of something. "Y'know, it'd feel like we're a closer crew if we call each other by nicknames!" he told her. "Can I call you Lady Y?" he asked, still grinning.

"What?!" Shauna exclaimed in response. "No way!" she cried out, leaning forward to get their attention. "She's a Li'l Y, for sure!" she insisted.

Sweating, Ylisse watched the two as they bickered. Where did they get the idea such a nickname would really suit her...?

They were definitely…unique…though, she had to give them that.

"What do you think, Trevor!?" Shauna's exclamation brought her back out of her thoughts, as she turned along with the others to look at the ginger boy.

"Wh-wh-what? You want  _me_  to nickname someone I've just met?!" he stammered, though Ylisse did agree with that sentiment. Weren't nicknames supposed to mean something...or something? "Shauna, y-you shouldn't put people on that spot like that!" the poor boy exclaimed, looking a little stressed by the sudden attention.

Before Ylisse could nod in agreement however, he sighed and continued, biting his lip a bit in nervousness. "I-" he gulped at the pout that Shauna sent him, "Well… M-maybe something...low key?" he said at last, causing Ylisse to pause.

Ohhh, surely not? She wondered, before sighing mentally and hoping for the best. It… It wasn't like Trevor could come up with something….worse...right?

…Right?

Ylisse was unfortunately proven wrong when he went on to suggest something that made even less sense to her than the others did. "Maybe… something like 'Y-kins'...?" he asked meekly.

Ylisse really hoped that wasn't his real opinion and that he'd only been trying to pander to both Tierno and Shauna's strange taste in names. Apparently sensing the cloud of despair that had started to form over the ash-blonde, Xander spoke up.

"...How about we let Ylisse decide?" he sweat, turning to the blonde who blinked in confusion. Clearly having spaced out the last few moments, if her expression was anything to go by -not that the others seemed to have noticed, Xander noted. "You should decide what we call you," he told her.

Eyes brightening as her mind put the clues together, she nodded, biting her lip for a moment before nodding more decisively -and speaking up for the first time that Xander was aware of.

"...Lissy," she told them, sharing the nickname her father liked to use for her, since she had never been close enough to anyone else to warrant a nickname.

She'd been a bit of a loner before now, after all.

"You want us to call you Lissy?" Xander asked, just to be sure. When she nodded in response, he grinned. Well, that was one thing taken care of! He thought, observing as she seemed to become much more comfortable with the group now that the issue of nicknames had been resolved.

" _Yes!_  Lissy suits you perfectly!" Shauna exclaimed, liking it much better than the others, since it rolled off the tongue so much easier than either their previous suggestions or her actual name. The 'Y-L' was a bit of an awkward tumble after all.

Thinking something along the same lines, Xander nodded in agreement. Though he did wonder why her parents had named her Ylisse -even if it did actually suit her rather well. It was just a bit awkward to pronounce was all. 'Yuh-leese'... 'Yeh-leese'? Well, whatever, they were calling her Lissy from now on, anyways.

"I'm sure we're going to be great friends!" Shauna continued, oblivious to her closest friend's thoughts. "Hey, hey! Can we see the Pokemon yet?! I want to meet my new partner soon~" she practically sang, nearly bouncing in her seat with excitement as the others laughed.

"Yeah, I know, right? It was such a cool feeling when Trevs and I met our Pokemon!" he grinned, chuckling at Shauna's excitement. As the eldest at sixteen, he could be rather mature, though he tended to be silly more often, due to his blatant love of dancing, while Trevor was simply shy -even if he'd gotten more confident over the years.

Honestly, Xander was probably the most mature and level headed of the group until now, seeing how calmly he tended to take everything. And he was the more logical and responsible one, even if he didn't score hundreds on all his tests like Trevor did.

But now there was Lissy, and it was coming to look like she'd be one cool chick. And maybe as mature and level headed as Xander was, even if she seemed a little quiet and shy. But that was okay, they'd get around that soon enough!

"Either way, I hope you guys feel the same way we did!" he told them, grin widening, as he pulled the container out of his bright yellow bag.

"Here we are!" He grinned, carefully holding the open container out to the three new trainers-to-be.

Looking at the others, she saw that they seemed to have their preferences decided, as they urged her to go first. Looking at the trio of pokeballs, the lid clearly labeled with which Pokemon was in which pokeball, she hesitated for a moment.

Originally, she'd meant to go pick one out with her dad. But… maybe this was better? Rather than finding a breeder and buying her first partner…which would no doubt be expensive.

She took a deep breath. She already knew which one she'd choose of the three. But just to be sure, she looked to the others to see if either of them had wanted to make the same choice.

Upon seeing no objection on their faces, she nodded and gently, almost reverently, picked up the pokeball that remained nestled in the center, between the two others. A small smile gracing her lips, as she held the  _warm_  pokeball in her hand, awed by the fact that she now held a life within her hands.

Even if she couldn't see it yet. Had yet to officially meet it -him…her? Well, she'd find out soon enough.

Looking up again, she saw that the other two had already chosen theirs, and seeing Shauna's grinning face, she knew that the other girl knew just how -surprisingly- momentous her decision had been.

"Did you want to give your Pokemon a nickname?" she asked, an encouraging look of excitement on her face.

Ylisse thought about it for a moment, biting her lip as she thought before nodding. "Keelan," she decided. Somehow, instinctively knowing that it would fit. She vaguely remembered that Keelan had been short for something, a much longer name that actually meant 'little companion'. And even if it didn't remain little for long, she could always cut the name down to a shorter nickname. Maybe Kai for short later, she thought to herself, savoring the warmth from the monster ball in her hands as it heated up a bit more, almost as if the Pokemon itself agreed.

"So you're going to name him Keelan?" she asked, curious, smiling widely when she nodded. "Okay! My partner's Chespin!" she grinned, releasing the green and brown 'spiny nut' Pokemon. "Wow!" she grinned, as the Pokemon beamed and chattered excitedly at the girl in greeting. "We go together great~!" she beamed, "The two of us together are just way-ay- _ay_ too cute!" she squealed, cuddling the Pokemon, who didn't seem to have any complaints.

Xander was next to release his Pokemon, smiling. "It's nice to meet you, Froakie. My name's Xander," he introduced himself to his new Pokemon, as he stared back at him, curiously. "Because of you, I can be a Pokemon Trainer. Thanks!" he grinned. The Pokemon stared at him for a moment before nodding in acceptance.

"Froa-kie, Fro," it responded.

Watching the other two with a smile, Ylisse looked down at her own pokeball, taking a breath before releasing her own Pokemon, a rather fluffy yet serious looking Fennekin. "Hello, Keelan," she greeted softly, mostly unnoticed by the others, "It's nice to meet you," she said quietly. "My name is Ylisse. I look forward to working with you," she told it, nodding her head in a slight bow.

Watching her, the Fennekin nodded once, accepting his new trainer with a stoic grace, as he slipped into her lap to get a better look at the others. Blinking, she watched it do so, smiling as it settled, sitting as if it were some proud sentinel.

Unable to help it, she found herself petting it, curiosity satisfied by the soft fur -even as the Pokemon seemed to take a moment to accept her touch.

From across the table, Trevor cleared his throat. "Uh, s-pardon me," he started, clamping down on the urge to apologize, as he tried not to give back into the habit of apologizing for everything. "I have something from the Professor for you, as well," he told them as he pulled something out of his bag. "It's something that'll help you understand Pokemon on a much deeper level," he explained, setting out three sleek looking Pokedex in front of the new trainers.

"Um," he started, clearing his throat as if to calm his nerves. "The Pokedex I just gave you is a high tech device that'll automatically record the encounters with Pokemon that you have. The reason you get one is because the Professor wants us to go on a journey with our Pokemon and complete the Pokedex," he explained. "To put it another way, it's an important mission from the Professor! I'm sure of it!" he told them seriously, clearly believing it to be of utmost importance.

Ylisse watched the others, keeping a loose hold of her Pokemon, even as she continued to pet the soft, fluffy being. She paused, however, when it was mentioned that they might have to go on a journey. On one hand, she'd be getting a Pokemon for free -not to mention she was already attached to the serious little fire-fox. On the other, she'd be leaving before her father got home…

Unless she came across him on her way? She frowned, before smoothing the expression out. Perhaps she should talk to her mother about it… She honestly wasn't quite sure what to do in this case. She was somewhat torn, since she really hadn't been planning to go on an actual  _journey_. And definitely not by herself…

Though, she wasn't by herself now, was she? She thought, looking down at her Pokemon, who looked up to watch her, as if sensing her shift in mood.

That, or wanting to keep being pet. It was a bit of a toss-up, as it nudged her hand after a moment, rubbing against it as if to tell her to keep petting him. Ylisse smiled and did as requested, deciding to think about it later so she could talk to her mother about it, completely missing the next portion as Tierno began to laugh, telling the serious ginger to lighten up. Though she did look over when he coughed, looking at her.

"...?" Her questioning look was clear, as their eyes met.

"Hey, Lissy? Uh, please take this with you…" he told her, passing an envelope to her that she accepted quizzically. "It's a letter from the Professor," he explained. "He said to give it to your mom."

Ylisse nodded, putting it into an organized section of her 'purse' just for important things -like books and letters like she'd just received.

Tierno grinned, taking the nod as acceptance. "Great! We're all done with our errand for the Professor then! So I guess Trevs and I will go look for Pokemon now," he told them, "Let's go Trevs!" he grinned down at his ginger friend.

Smiling apologetically, Trevor waved and ran off after the other, calling for his friend.

Once they were gone, the trio looked back to each other, Pokemon still out of their pokeballs.

Clearing his throat, Xander spoke up first. "In Kalos, kids are chosen to carry a Pokedex and go on an adventure," he explained, having noted her earlier look. Smiling at her surprised look, Xander continued. "Still, you'll have to give your mom that letter before any of that," he reminded her, even as Shauna beamed.

Nodding, Ylisse began to stand from her seat, shifting Keelan so that he could choose to sit on her shoulder or stay in her arms. The little fire fox chose to perch on her shoulder, settling as neatly as it could, trying to stay balanced on the smaller, effeminate shoulder.

Waving to the others rather than saying goodbye, she began to head back. The other two staying for a while longer, watching her walk towards Vaniville -though not without pausing to shift the fox into her arms. Mostly for easier transport, before it decided to simply walk alongside her. It wasn't as if Ylisse had particularly long legs or was a very fast walker anyways. In fact, her pace was rather slow. Quite easy for even the small quadruped to keep up with.

As she reached the Vaniville path, however, she was stopped by a familiar voice calling after her.

* * *

"Lissy, wait!" Shauna called out, running after her as both she and her partner paused, sharing a look before turning to see the girl stop in front of them, catching her breath. As they waited, Ylisse noted that the younger girl's Chespin was nowhere in sight -probably back in his pokeball, she deduced.

Once her breath had been caught, Shauna beamed up at her, "You're gonna be my opponent in my Pokemon battling debut!" she exclaimed, holding up her pokeball excitedly.

Ylisse looked at her Pokemon. Was he ready for a battle?

Keelan nodded as if to answer her unspoken question. Well, it looked like the battle was a-go then, she supposed, nodding to Shauna, as they separated far enough for their Pokemon to be able to battle without problems.

Shauna grinned, twirling excitedly with her pokeball. "Okay, li'l Ches! It's our first battle! Let's win this!" she exclaimed, throwing out her pokeball, as Ylisse looked to her Fennekin.

Keelan leapt nimbly out into the unofficial battle field.

"Alright, li'l Ches! Let's start with a Vine Whip!" she grinned.

Keelan, meanwhile, was looking to Ylisse as he dodged, far more nimble than the other Pokemon's vines were.

Biting her lip, Ylisse thought about her options. Fennekin knew how to use Fire attacks, right?

"Ember!" she decided, getting a nod as Keelan turned back to blow a puff of fire at the grass type, who easily dodged at the distance they were at.

"Alright, li'l Ches! Tackle!"

Keelan scrambled to move out of the way when the Chespin rammed into him faster than he'd expected.

"Scratch!" Still, at least Ylisse knew what she was doing now. She hadn't expected for the range of the Ember to make it so easy to dodge, but if she got this right…

"No! Li'l Ches, dodge!" Shauna exclaimed, even as Ylisse watched the Pokemon's movements for just...the right…

"Now! Ember!" She exclaimed, sure that the other wouldn't be able to dodge this time. Keelan obeyed, breathing flame at the grass Pokemon, who was too close to dodge the attack now.

"Li'l Ches!" Shauna cried out, just as surprised as her Pokemon.

Jumping back, both Pokemon took stock. Despite the earlier tackle having hit Keelan, he looked fine. A little scruffy, maybe, but determined. Li'l Ches, meanwhile, wasn't looking so good. After all, the grass type had taken a face full of fire, which had naturally taken a higher toll seeing as grass types were weak to fire.

Studying the Pokemon, Ylisse figured a good hit would be able to knock it out. But that would depend on Shauna's move as well.

She decided to take the initiative.

"Keelan, Scratch!"

"Li'l Ches, dodge it and tackle!" she exclaimed, not realizing that she was about to fall for the same trick. Or rather, realizing it much too late, as Keelan seemed to pick up on the trick, moving barely a moment before she spoke.

"Ember!" she called out, as Keelan braced himself, taking a deep breath to open fire once more on the spiny grass type running right for him. In the midst of an attack as he was, the Chespin wasn't able to dodge.

And thus ended the battle, with a tired but victorious Keelan standing tall as Li'l Ches collapsed from too much damage.

"Awww, but I wasn't done watching my cute li'l Chespin yet…!" Shauna pouted, sighing as she returned her Pokemon to save it from suffering too much more. "You're amazing, Lissy!" she said at last, pulling a few things out of her bag. "Here! Let me fix up your Pokemon~!" she smiled, reaching a hand out for the Fennekin to familiarize himself with before moving to offer him an oran berry, which seemed to cause the little fire fox to perk up.

"...Thanks, Shauna," she smiled back, watching as her Pokemon ate the berry, almost instantly seeming to regain its vigor, even as Shauna used potions and such to heal her own Pokemon.

"Hey, you talked!" she grinned, half teasing. That having been the first full sentence she'd spoken directly to the other girl. "You're welcome, of course. But I guess I should let you get back huh?" she hummed, before beaming, "Well, say hi to your mom for me! I'll see you later, Lissy!" she waved, before running back off towards Aquacorde.

Ylisse blinked, staring after the strange girl before turning to her Pokemon, who had finished his berry and was looking far better than he'd had before. Offering her arms to the tired Pokemon, she smiled when he willingly leapt into her arms, accepting that she wished to carry him with surprising ease. She'd expected him to be much more prideful, but was glad that they got along as well as they did. Surprisingly so.

But then, after the last battle, the Pokemon's respect for her had risen, seeing that she had shown rather good senses in battle tactics. So if she wanted to cuddle him? Well, he certainly wouldn't complain. Especially not if she kept petting him like she did…!

* * *

By the time she finally got back to the house, it was nearly evening.

Had she really spent so much time outside? She wondered, walking past the once again sleeping -or possibly napping, or  _still_  sleeping- Rhys out in the surprisingly spacious yard with a slight smile.

Despite the rough start, she'd rather enjoyed herself, really.

It had been nice, if she were to be honest with herself. Walking up to the door, she all but forgot that she'd only just gotten the Pokemon still in her arms, as she let herself back into the house.

* * *

Upon hearing the door, her mother came out of the kitchen, where she'd been about to start making dinner. "You're back! So what did you and the neighbor kids end up doing?" she questioned, having seen the other kids when she'd sent her daughter out -mostly to make sure she at least attempted to look for them.

She paused upon seeing her daughter however. Not much had changed about her but…

"Hold on... Ylisse, sweetie, is that a Pokemon in your arms?" she asked, surprised. Where on earth had she gotten a Pokemon from? Bewildered, but accepting since she trusted and knew her daughter well enough to know it (probably) wasn't stolen -and even if it had been it would have had to have been for a good reason, since the Pokemon seemed to be rather fond of her. Which wouldn't happen if it'd been unwillingly taken, after all!

"Did you get your own Pokemon?" she questioned, knowing better than to get a full answer from her ever quiet daughter. Receiving a nod in return, she smiled, "Well, well!" she grinned, "Lucky you! How about that? You're a Pokemon trainer, now! Congrats, sweetheart!" she smiled, pausing when her daughter seemed to remember something. Grace watched as she put what she recognized to be a Fennekin down, rummaging in her bag for something.

"Hm?" she hummed, curious as she watched her pull out a letter, "A letter, for me?" she asked, waiting for confirmation before she looked down at the envelope now in her hands. Still curious, she hummed, opening the envelope and smoothing the paper out. "Let's see… it says it's from someone named Sycamore…" she hummed, pausing to look at her daughter with a grin.

"What could it be~?" she wondered, half joking, "A love letter?" she hummed, grinning at the smile on her daughter's face. Clearly as amused as she was, even if it was possibly true. She was an ex-professional Rhydon Racer, after all. Turning her attention back to the letter, she let her sharp eyes scan the rest of the letter before turning her attention back to her waiting child.

"Wow…" she murmured, "What lovely handwriting," she mused, admiring the writing as she read through it. "Let's see… ah… hmm, a request, huh?" she murmured, as curiosity sparked in her daughter, who waited patiently for her to finish, having lifted her partner back into her arms. "I see…" she hummed, turning back to her child.

"Ylisse!" she called, just to make sure she had her daughter's full attention. Still, she smiled, ensuring the girl she wasn't in any trouble, since she usually only called her by name in a sharper tone when she was annoyed or upset with her daughter. "We've barely unpacked, but it seems all sorts of exciting things are happening," she mused. "Let's get you and your Fennekin ready for your journey, hm?" she smiled, already starting to walk off to find the things she would be needing.

Ylisse blinked.

Wait…  _Wait_ , What?! Just… Just like that?

Surprised, she looked down at her Pokemon, who stared back at her as if to ask why she was questioning  _him_ about it. But still, her mother had accepted it far too easily… Or had she?

Her mother could be rather unpredictable at times, after all. But still-!

Eyes wide, she turned her attention back to her far-too-cheerful-to-be-good mother...

She wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad thing, in the end.


End file.
